


Amorra Week Winter 2013

by mercy_angel_09



Series: The Trophy Wife [4]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Crack, F/M, Fluff, and that one angsty post, and the kids, oh damn, which none of you have met yet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-06
Updated: 2013-01-05
Packaged: 2017-11-23 20:14:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/626099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mercy_angel_09/pseuds/mercy_angel_09
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of one shots from the Trophy Wife 'verse based around the Amorra Week Winter 2013 prompts. </p><p>Day One: Quirk - Korra had this adorable habit that even as the years went by, Noatak still thought was cute.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Quirk

**Author's Note:**

> Winter Amorra Week already? Where does the time go? Anyway, here’s my response for the first prompt, “Quirk.” As with the last Amorra Week, all of these take place within the Trophy Wife ‘verse. Set seventeen years after the final chapter/epilogue.

Korra had this way of sticking her lip out when she was upset about something. It didn’t matter what was upsetting her, the reaction was always the same. She’d hunch her shoulders up and her lower lip would jut out and she’d look more like a petulant child than a mother of four.

Even after twenty years of marriage it would still make Noatak chuckle when she did it, and the lip would stick out even further as she’d glare at him.

“I know I shouldn’t laugh,” he chuckled one night as he placed a gentle kiss against her forehead, “but even now I find it amusing.”

“Glad I can entertain you,” she snarked back.

“Oh, don’t be like that,” he murmured as pulled her closer, despite her best efforts to resist. “You know that I love you and I find that little pout of yours completely adorable.”

She scowled at him.

He leaned down and kissed her nose.

“You’re an idiot,” she grumbled.

“Mmm, but I’m the idiot that’s in love with you. That has to mean something.”

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. “I think that all it means is that you’re an idiot.”

Noatak responded by sticking his lip out.


	2. Sexual Tension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tour of the Equalist facility doesn't go quite as Amon planned. Especially when he ends up with his arms full of Avatar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special thanks to Yuugao818 who sat with me in chat and helped me get the ideas straightened out. Set sometime between chapter 7 and chapter 8. Rated T because of suggestive themes. Warning: This one is kind of on the long side.

“Since you’ll be living here, I suppose I should give you a tour of the facility.”

Korra looked up from her book and cocked her head. Amon stood in the doorway between his bedroom and his office, regarding her with what appeared to be mild interest. “The facility?”

“This is part of a large compound of sorts, that is the main base of Equalist operations,” Amon explained as he strode into room. “This includes dormitories, locker rooms, and lounge for the members who have been displaced from their homes by benders. There are also the training facilities and the cafeteria.”

She nodded. “Quite the operation you run. I knew it was big, but I had no clue it was this big.”

“Smaller bases and training facilities served those who didn’t need a place to stay, who were lucky enough to still have their homes.”

“Okay, yeah, that makes sense,” Korra shrugged as she stood up and stretched. “So, where did you want to start?”

The logical starting point was the dormitories, located down the hall and two flights of stairs. There were men and women’s dormitories, and several smaller apartments for married couples with nowhere else to go. The locker rooms were just down the hall from the dormitories.

Down another flight of stairs and several corridors later, Korra found herself standing in a training gym, not unlike the one at the Pro-Bending arena. There were mats on the floor, training dummies lined up against the wall, and storage bins of training equipment tucked into the corners.

“Wow,” she murmured. “This…this is impressive.”

“Only the best for my brothers and sisters,” Amon answered.

“That’s…that’s admirable.”

“I suppose,” Amon shrugged. “Shall we continue?”

He led her down another hall, towards the overwhelming smell of chemicals. Her nose wrinkled at the stench. “What the-“

“The swimming pool,” Amon said as he opened the door. There was no one using it at the moment, in fact she hadn’t seen one chi blocker during their entire tour. Either Amon told them to clear out for the day, or they were all on duty elsewhere.

“Well, that’s definitely bigger than your bath,” she said, observing the 82 foot by 41 foot pool. Bending a bit of water out of it, she tested the temperature before tossing it back. “And it’s warm, too.”

“That was Sato’s idea,” Amon said. “It’s a rather complicated process, so I’m not going to explain it.”

“I wasn’t even going to ask,” Korra replied as she turned to face him.

The pool may not have been recently used, but the general humidity of the room made the tile floor slick, and turning too quickly caused Korra to lose her balance. Her body pitched forward and she flailed her arms in an attempt to regain her balance, but to no avail. Without thinking Amon reached out to catch her, grabbing her awkwardly as he tried not to lose his balance as well.

“I…uh…could you, er, maybe move your hand?” she stammered, her cheeks glowing with a rosy bloom.

Realization dawned on Amon that he had managed to grab Korra’s ass as he tried to keep her from falling flat on her face. When his brain finally caught up his actions he moved his hand, sliding it from her butt cheek to her hip and then up her torso, finally stopping just under her armpit.

And, quite coincidentally, with a palm-full of side boob.

She looked up at him with wide eyes. It was clear that she’d never been touched by a man before. A more experienced woman’s pulse wouldn’t be racing like hers was. This wasn’t the excitement of arousal; this was fear, nervousness of uncharted waters.

“I apologize,” he said gruffly as he dropped his hands. “I trust that you’re fine.”

“I’m fine,” she squeaked out, trying to regain her senses. What on earth had gotten into her, blushing like a nervous schoolgirl! Looking up at his face – mask, whatever – she noted that she could actually see his eyes for a change. Rather than the vengeful stare down he’d given her on the night of their “duel” on Avatar Aang Memorial Island, instead she noted that he looked uncertain. So, their little to-do had affected more than just her, then?

“The rest of the facility is storage space, not really worth showing,” he said, turning his back to her and walking towards the door. “We’ll go back up to my suite.”

“Ah, okay,” she mumbled as she followed him. She tried to suppress the fluttery feeling she had in her stomach that had settled there when their eyes had met. Amon was solid underneath that tunic, lean muscle and…Korra shook her head, knowing full well that nothing good would come from that particular train of thought.

Their arrangement was purely political. There might be trace amounts of lust involved, but chances were he saw her as only a child. He had no interest in her like that.

What she didn’t know was that Amon couldn’t shake the feeling of just how wonderful she felt in his hands…


	3. Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Many years ago Korra and Noatak established a tradition of afternoon tea, but it's been long enough Korra's not entirely sure why they started it in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING - Contains massive feels, a bittersweet sentiment, and a shameless reference to David Bowie’s “‘Heroes.’” Sorry not sorry.

“When did we get old?” Korra asked as she settled herself at the dining room table.

Noatak slid a cup of tea to her and she smiled her thanks. “The inevitable creep of time.”

“We have four children, all of them grown, three of them married, and three grandkids with Pamuya expecting her first child,” Korra sighed. “I don’t feel old enough to have grandchildren.”

“Speak for yourself,” Noatak chuckled. “Remember, we just celebrated my eightieth birthday.”

Korra cringed. “I guess at fifty-seven I don’t feel particularly old.”

“Hmm, that’s the thing about you being the Avatar,” Noatak said before sipping his tea, “you age much slower than I do. You don’t look a day over thirty.”

Reaching up to touch her faded brown hair, Korra blushed. “Oh hush, even I know that I look every bit of my age.”

“Nonsense, you look lovely as always,” Noatak grinned.

“Oh for crying out loud, even at eighty you’re as incorrigible as ever.”

They drank their tea in silence, as they were wont to do as they got older, their minds neither here nor there.

Korra finally broke the silence with a question.

“When did we start having afternoon tea together?”

Noatak raised an eyebrow as he considered the question. “It was shortly after Kekoa was born,” he answered slowly. “In the chaos of our jobs and having a new baby, we agreed that we would take an hour each afternoon just for each other. Even when you were traveling for your Avatar duties, you always observed tea time, and I would observe it with the kids when they were old enough.”

Korra hummed as she recalled that fateful afternoon where they had both been nearly run ragged and Tarrlok had tutted at them both for allowing it to happen. He had taken Kekoa for the afternoon and told them to get some much deserved rest. The problem was that neither of them could sit still long enough to get said rest. Finally Noatak suggested that they make some tea and sit out in the courtyard to enjoy the nice, spring afternoon.  Korra had agreed, and a tradition had been started.

Even now their children partook in afternoon tea when their schedules permitted it, but with Kekoa and Keanu working as emergency healers, it was a bit harder for them.

“You know, I rather like this tradition,” Noatak said as he ran his finger around the rim of his teacup. “Forcing ourselves to slow down, to spend a little time with each other each day, I think has only made our relationship stronger.”

Reaching out, Korra grasped his hand and squeezed. “I completely agree.”

The rest of the time was spent in silent pondering, because though they didn’t outright say it, they were both aware of the fact that soon Korra would be taking her afternoon tea alone. The inevitable creep of time would see to that. For now, though, for now they would steal time and keep it selfishly to themselves.


	4. Apology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes apologizing actually makes things worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short and sweet. Since we haven’t gotten to “fire ice” in The Trophy Wife proper, the drink is an alcohol made from tubers by the Water Tribes. So it’s similar to vodka. Noatak isn’t a huge drinker, but every so often he likes to indulge.

First it was just a little package sitting on his desk in the study. Inside was a lovely parka brooch, made from the shell of turtle-seals and carved with the emblem of the Northern Water Tribe. Noatak didn’t have to ask who it was from; it was pretty obvious that this was a special gift available only to those related to the royal family of the Northern Water Tribe. Tarrlok no longer had access to such a luxury, which left his wife.

He realized, rather belatedly, that it was a gift for his 50th birthday – which had been over a week ago. He hadn’t put much stock in birthdays in years, mostly because they reminded him of how much older he was than Korra. The fact that he forgot meant he had no issues with the fact that Korra forgot.

In fact, he’d rather that Korra forgot his birthday.

But she didn’t just stop with the parka brooch. Soon there was a bottle of his favorite fire ice on his night table, a new pair of mukluks on his side of the wardrobe, a brand new pen in his office in City Hall (no doubt she enlisted either Tarrlok’s or Gui’s help for that), and finally the painfully awkward knit scarf on the front seat of his satomobile.

With an exasperated sigh, Noatak realized he’d have have to say something lest the gifting never end.

That night, as Korra was getting ready for bed, Noatak approached the subject. “Korra, this needs to stop.”

She paused, looking up at him in confusion. “I was just brushing my hair. Why does that need to stop?”

“Not your hair. The gifts that I keep finding all over the place,” he clarified. “Even in my office, when you clearly weren’t anywhere near it.”

With a grimace, she put her brush down on the vanity table that Asami had insisted that she needed. “Oh.”

“I realize that you probably feel guilty for missing my birthday, but I really don’t care. In fact, I’d rather you not a big deal out of it.”

“Even the kids? I should tell you that they feel horrible for forgetting your birthday since I was in the Fire Nation,” she told him before frowning. “At least Kekoa feels bad. The twins are too young to realize that it was your birthday.”

“Still, each birthday you fuss over reminds me of just how old I am. I really don’t need that constant reminder.”

“Age is just a number.”

“Korra, please, for me? Your apology has reached ridiculous levels. I can honestly tell you that I don’t mind that you forgot my birthday.”

Her lower lip jutted out as she pouted. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” he answered. “Not that I don’t appreciate the gifts, they’re great gifts, but I think a simple ‘happy birthday, what do you want for dinner’ will suffice for next time.”

Rolling her eyes and heaving a dramatic sigh, Korra stood. “Oh I suppose.” Her nose wrinkled in disappointment. “Seems kind of boring though.”

“You and your need for excitement,” he grumbled.


	5. Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One lazy afternoon, Korra and Noatak compare scars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one was…interesting to write. I figure Korra doesn’t have many scars, but Amon/Noatak might have a few. I could have talked endlessly about the emotional scarring they both have, but this time I decided to go with the literal scars. The one scar that I mention Korra having happens to be one of the many scars that I carry. Though I got mine rough-housing in a camper when I was five. With my cousins. Right before a big, family camping trip. >.>

There was something about mid-afternoon intimacy that Korra liked. Maybe it was the sunshine streaming through the windows or the knowledge that they were lounging around in bed while the rest of the city was busy at work, but no matter what it was, Korra enjoyed it.

It was mid-afternoon and Noatak was stretched out on his back, hands folded behind his head, a content smile on his face. He was sated and a little bit sleepy, not really paying attention to what his wife was doing.

“What are you thinking about?” Korra asked him as she rolled herself half-way on top of him.

“Nothing,” he murmured, cracking one eye to look at her. “What are you doing?”

“Looking at you.”

“Yes, I can see that.”

She tickled his ribs, causing him to twitch slightly, but otherwise he didn’t move. “Hey…what’s that?” she asked as her hand drifted down his bare torso.

“You’ve seen my birthmark before,” he answered. “I seem to recall you saying it looked like a turtle-duck.”

“No, not that. There’s a scar, on your side. I’ve never noticed it before.”

He frowned. “Oh. That.”

“Oh come on, it can’t be that bad,” she said, lightly running her finger over it. “How did you get it?”

“I got it in a bar fight,” he grunted.

Korra’s head shot up. “A bar fight?” Her eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open.

“I learned the hard way you don’t bring your fists to a knife fight,” he replied, trying to shrug off her shock.

“But your bending…”

“I wasn’t near a source of water. Not even a puddle on the ground,” he noted with a wry smile. “It happened during a rather infamous drought in the city.”

“And you refused to bloodbend?”

“That’s something my father would have done,” he answered, his tone sharp and condescending. “I wasn’t going to allow myself to sink to his level.”

Korra held her tongue, deciding it wasn’t worth it to point out that he had subtly bloodbent people as Amon to give himself an edge. This was probably well before he assumed the mantle of Amon, before he started making decisions that would set him on a course to face his past. It was never worth it to try and argue these points with him, he was as stubborn as she was and no doubt he saw no issue with just minor bloodbending to slow someone down versus a total body hold meant to maim.

Deciding it wasn’t worth it to keep prodding at something that Noatak clearly didn’t want to discuss, Korra rolled onto her back and crossed her arms against her chest.

“You really aren’t going to pout about that, are you?” Noatak asked as he rolled on to his side. “It’s really not as interesting as you think. I got into a bar fight, was stabbed, and now I have a scar since I initially refused medical treatment.”

“Well that seems dumb.”

“I didn’t want to deal with the usual line of questioning that goes along with stabbings,” Noatak shrugged. “I wanted to keep a low profile. I didn’t want anyone to find out who I was or where I came from.”

“I just figured that you didn’t want to talk about it anymore,” she said, giving him a stern glance. “I was trying to respect your wishes.”

They had been married for just over a year. The adjustment period was still happening, and sometimes they had to step back and take a moment to collect their thoughts before continuing with whatever they were discussing. Korra’s youth and impulsiveness often clashed with Noatak’s age and stability, leading to plenty of arguments for the newlyweds.

Thinking of ways to break the obvious tension in the room, Noatak finally made a query he hoped would put them on equal footing. “So…do you have any scars?”

Korra looked at him in surprise. “Well, Master Katara always directly supervised my training, so she was always on hand to heal anything that might have happened. And since I learned healing from her, I’ve been able to heal myself since moving to Republic City.”

“So you don’t have a single scar.”

“I didn’t say that,” she said with a sly smile. “I have a little one here, by my eye. I got it when I was three.”

Noatak looked aghast. “What did you do?”

With a nostalgic smile, Korra launched into her story. “My dad and I were rough-housing and I went tumbling and hit my face on the corner of a table.”

“You could have lost your eye.”

“I could have,” Korra agreed, “but I didn’t. As it was it bled a lot and I had to have my mother sew it up, but honestly, what’s life without a few battle scars?”

“You have one.”

“Whatever. It’s still one. I actually wanted to keep a few of the burn scars I got when I was learning firebending but Master Katara got kind of weird about that and insisted on healing them completely,” Korra shrugged. “Anyway, even though both of my parents are waterbenders they’re not trained healers so my mom insisted on sewing me up the old fashioned way.”

Leaning down, Noatak examined the puckered skin next to Korra’s right eye. It wasn’t as impressive as his scar from being stabbed, but it was something. A reminder of just how lucky she was.


	6. Secret Admirer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mysterious presents keep showing up for Korra. Not that she minds, but it's hard to tell someone you don't know that you're happily married.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Humor and fluff in this one, folks. Humor and fluff. Also, harmless. No smut, no salty language. Completely safe. Also, Tarrlok, why do you have to be so mercenary?

It started when a panda lily mysteriously showed up on the dining room table with a note that said “For Korra.”

Then it was a bouquet of roses brought in by the giggling twins, who at thirteen thought this was the most romantic thing ever.

Korra, on the other hand, was slightly unnerved. The last time she’d been showered in gifts, someone had been trying to get something from her.

The next day, Kekoa handed his mom a box of high end chocolates. “And where did these come from?” she asked.

Her seventeen-year-old son shrugged. “I don’t know, they were left on the front step with your name on them.”

Tarrlok walked into the room to find his sister-in-law staring at the box of chocolates in confusion. “Where did those come from?” he asked.

“That’s the thing, nobody knows,” she answered, putting them down on the parlor end table. “Yesterday it was a bouquet of roses and the day before a panda lily sitting on the dining room table.”

“Well, whoever it is, they seem pretty determined. I’d at least hold out until they buy you something really nice,” Tarrlok advised.

Korra snorted. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

The following day, ten-year-old Keanu wandered into his parents’ bedroom, holding a small box. Korra smiled brightly at him. “What have you got there, little guy?”

Keanu held the box out. “It was on the table in the hall.”

One eyebrow arched up. Taking the box and opening it, Korra found it contained a beautiful string of pearls. They were breathtaking, really, the very same strand that Korra had admired in one of the downtown jewelry store windows on more than one occasion. But how had this secret admirer of hers even know that she had been looking at them? Noatak didn’t even know.

“What are they, Mom?”

“They’re a very expensive present with a very mysterious origin.”

Keanu frowned. “What?”

“Never mind, sweetie. Run along and play,” Korra sighed. What was with this person? Didn’t they know she was already happily married with a family?

The next day Korra was on edge as she walked into each room, searching high and low for any mysterious packages that had mysteriously appeared overnight. In the end she found a dress box on her side of the wardrobe. Opening it as if might contain some sort of booby-trap, she found it contained a lovely dress in the Water Tribe Style, in various shades of blue with white trim.

Things reached a head when the day after that Korra walked into her bedroom and found a pair of new shoes, kitten heeled pumps from the look of it, sitting on the floor on her side of the bed. Tucked inside one of the shoes was a note. It was typed with a simple instruction.

“ _Top of Harmony Tower. 8:00 PM. Wear the pearls, the dress, and the shoes. Don’t be late_.”

Staring down at the note, Korra weighed her options. She could go, with Naga, and face this mysterious gift giver with a flaming punch to the face, or she could follow the demands and show up in the dress and shoes and pearls and see what this guy wanted. And it had to be a guy. No woman would ever give Korra such romantic gifts.

Though there had been that one firebender back in Caldera City who worked as a personal attendant to the Fire Lord that seemed to harbor a bit of a crush on her, but Korra had rather tactfully explained to the woman that while she was flattered by the attention, she was also happily married with kids. The woman had taken the rejection in stride, thank goodness, wishing Korra and her family well.

In the end Korra decided she’d follow through with the directions, and if push came to shove she could set the person on fire and run like hell if necessary. When 6:30 rolled around, Korra expected her husband and her brother-in-law to walk through the door, and was surprised when only Tarrlok shuffled in. He arched a brow at her disappointment.

“I’m sorry I’m such a disappointment,” he noted as he hung up his coat.

“Uh, no, that’s not it,” Korra said with a nervous laugh. “I was just hoping to talk to Noatak, that’s all.”

“Yes, I’m supposed to tell you that he and the rest of the council are in an emergency meeting regarding the vandalism and property destruction down at the waterfront,” Tarrlok rattled off. “He probably won’t be home until much later tonight. Apparently there are some ‘logistics’ that have to be dealt with before they can do anything.”

Korra’s face fell. “Oh, okay.” She fidgeted for a moment before she looked up at Tarrlok. “Could you keep tabs on the kids tonight? I know Kekoa and the twins are capable of handling themselves, but Keanu still needs someone to make sure he gets to bed on time.”

“Of course I’ll watch the kids,” Tarrlok said. “Why?”

“Oh, I just have some things to take care of this evening and I don’t know how long it’ll take,” she responded. She hated lying to Tarrlok. She hated lying period but she did it anyway. The last thing she needed was for Tarrlok to question her motives, or worse, tell his brother.

Tarrlok, thankfully, had the kids completely occupied when she left, so she simply called out her good-bye, waited for the return chorus, and then slipped out. Since she was wearing heels and a dress, she couldn’t take Naga, so she reached into her purse and pulled out a set of keys. Asami had insisted that Korra learn how to drive, so now Korra could cruise around in the car Tarrlok had bought for her if she needed a better ride than a polar bear-dog.

Arriving at Harmony Tower, Korra parked her car and headed towards the elevator. There was exactly one elevator attendant present on the entire premises, which were usually bustling at this time of night with tourists, who didn’t look at all surprised to see her.

“Avatar Korra,” he greeted as if he were expecting her.

She inclined her head at him as she stepped on to the elevator and rode it to the top.

If she were honest with herself, Korra had no idea what was in store for her. Was there some creep who had been trying to woo her waiting, ready to sweep her off her feet? That seemed idiotic, seeing as she was a fully realized Avatar. Perhaps someone thought they could get the upper hand by forcing her to fight in heels and a dress. Psh. As if that mattered.

When the elevator door slid open at the top, Korra noted a single table set for two. A man was standing at the railing, looking out over the lit up city. He turned when he heard her footsteps and smiled.

Rolling her eyes, Korra shook her head as she walked over to him. “You’re impossible,” she told him, making him laugh.

Noatak leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Happy anniversary.”

Korra cocked her head as she mentally went through the calendar, wincing when she realized that today was their twentieth wedding anniversary. “Oh Spirits, I’ve been so busy over the last few weeks that I actually forgot.”

“It’s okay. I know you’re busy,” he said as he escorted her over to the table. “You look wonderful, by the way.”

Reaching up, Korra lightly touched the pearls resting against her throat. “How did you know about the pearls?”

“I went into that jewelry store downtown to get you something, and the clerk had seen you admiring the pearls in the window a few times before. He seemed to think that they would be the ideal gift,” Noatak smiled.

“He was right,” Korra chuckled. “I love them.”

“So, how was it getting secret surprises all week?” he asked as he pulled back her chair. Waving him away, she sat down and scooted closer to the table as he seated himself.

“Confusing, but nice,” she admitted. “Did you get the kids to help you?”

“Kekoa and the twins knew, I couldn’t hide it from them, but Keanu just so happened to find that box with your name on it and take it to you anyway.” He grinned, looking much younger than his sixty years. “I do hope you enjoyed all of your surprises.”

“You know, it was kind of nice having a secret admirer,” Korra confessed. “I like getting presents.”

“I know you do,” he smirked as he sipped his wine. “That’s why I knew you’d show up. You wouldn’t be able to resist finding out who was sending you all of those gifts.”

His smirk faded when her foot collided with his shin, and she smirked at him instead.


	7. Winter Gala

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of the many things in common that Korra and Noatak had was their dislike of formal parties. Why deal with insincere ass kissers when you could be snogging in a broom closet?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More harmless fluff. Mostly because every time I end up working on Obsession (my most recent LoK fic) I inevitably make myself sad. >.> Then I require fluff to make myself feel better. Hence the rather fluffy nature of most of these one-shots. Except “Tea” which was feels-destroying on so many levels it wasn’t even funny.

One of the few things that Korra and Noatak had agreed on when they had first gotten married was that they hated big parties. They hated the crowds and the noise and that they were expected to make polite small talk with people who only tolerated their presence because they were Very Important People. They hated the fancy clothes and the societal rules they had to remember. The dancing wasn’t so bad, it was actually a great way to escape from dreadfully boring conversations, but that also meant that they had to make a few spins around the floor with other people who usually insisted on talking shop rather than enjoying the dance.

As usual, Korra, Noatak, and Tarrlok were forced to attend yet another gala, this one being held in honor of the winter solstice and something about how it was an extremely important time for the Water Tribes and so on and so forth. All Korra knew was that she was dressed up and wearing make-up, her hair done up in soft waves, and her shoes pinched. Noatak looked equally uncomfortable in his formal suit in Water Tribe blues.

Tarrlok, on the other hand, was in paradise. There was nothing he loved more than schmoozing potential donors and sweet talking political allies.

Korra was pretty sure she hated him for it.

This particular evening found Korra and Noatak lurking in the shadows, trying to avoid the other partygoers. They were both bored and would rather be at home with their kids than stuck at some boring function where people were going to suck up to them for favors. It was hardly their idea of a perfect evening.

“We should sneak out of here and go home,” Korra murmured.

“We can’t, Tarrlok rode with us,” Noatak mumbled back.

“So then how do we fight off the boredom?” Korra asked, glancing up at him.

Noatak looked thoughtful for a moment and then grinned. “I have an idea.” Grabbing her hand he ducked into the shadows and then out of a little known door near the staircase. Slipping into a back hallway, he pulled her along until he stopped, open another door, and pulled them inside.

Using her firebending, Korra looked around to find that she and Noatak were standing in a broom closet. She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Why are we in a broom closet?”

He grinned at her. “Oh come now, Korra, I should think that would have been obvious.”

“Obvious?”

Stepping closer, he pulled her into his arms, causing her to extinguish the flame she held in her palm. “What is it that you suppose couples do when they’re alone in the dark?” he murmured into her ear, causing shivers to run down her spine.

“Oh,” she breathed right before his mouth covered hers.

Shut up in the closet with the smells of lemon and wax and pine, Korra and Noatak lost all sense of time. They had been gone long enough that people were starting to notice, and Tarrlok took it upon himself to search for them. He had an idea of where they could be, and soon ducked off to a little used back hallway. Standing in front of the door to the broom closet, he steeled his nerves and reached for the handle. Yanking it open he could see his brother with his face pressed against Korra’s neck, Korra with her eyes closed and her mouth slightly parted in a silent moan of ecstasy.

“Ahem.”

The couple sprang apart and looked embarrassed, Noatak trying to smooth his hair while Korra dug the toe of her shoe into the floor.

“Well, well, look who’s avoiding doing their civic duty,” Tarrlok commented dryly, crossing his arms against his chest.

“How did you even find us?” Korra asked, looking up at him in humiliation at being caught necking her husband in a broom closet in City Hall.

“Oh please, like you’re the only ones who have thought of alternate uses for this broom closet?” Tarrlok snorted. “Forget it. Take a moment and head to the restrooms to freshen up and then it’s back to the party. I’ll tell them you stepped out for fresh air.”

“Thanks,” Noatak said as he straightened out his jacket. “We’ll be in shortly.”

“No more than ten minutes, or so help me I will use any means necessary to get you back in there,” Tarrlok threatened before he stalked off in annoyance.

“That was exciting,” Noatak smirked as he helped Korra straighten up her dress.

“Still, I can’t believe we were caught,” she replied with a strangled giggle. “I feel like I’m seventeen again and Tenzin is going to come around and lecture me about the evils of sneaking out.”

With a snort, Noatak shook his head. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

Korra looked up at him with a cheeky grin. “Well, how else did you expect me to join the Fire Ferrets?”


End file.
